Photographs
by SykotecAlpha
Summary: During spring cleaning, Zack finds his and Cloud's old high school yearbook. Going through it brings back memories neither of them have thought about in so long. Shonen-Ai. ZackXCloud.


**I do not own Final Fantasy VII.**

Zack stood in the hallway closet, rummaging through many unnamed boxes trying to find cleaning supplies. It was spring cleaning and he was trying to be nice by helping his husband out. He didn't want the poor boy working his fingers off, though he did love seeing him in that pink frilly apron. Zack snickered at the thought.

The black haired man reached upwards, looking at the shelves, and moving his hands around in the dust to see if he could feel anything. While searching he accidentally hit something, which made it come back down and smash into his head.

"Ow. . ." he said as he rubbed his now throbbing head. Reaching down he picked up the heavy book, and blew the dust off the cover, smiling as he read it.

He walked off with the newly found object, leaving the closet and cleaning supplies behind him. Getting to the room he let the book fall to the ground and plopped down right in front of it, making just enough noise for the other man in the house to here it.

"Zack. . ." the blonde said as he walked in with a feather duster held up in one hand, and the other resting on his hip. He was wearing that damned pink apron too. "What did you find?" he asked as he watched the tanned man open the book.

"Our yearbook. Our last yearbook," Zack stated as he looked at the inside cover. It read Gaia High Class of '04 _Shoulda Seen It In Color_.

"Where did you find that old thing?"

"In the hall closet. Still can't believe it's been seven years. You were so small then, but you kinda still are now," Zack chuckled.

"Shut up," his husband said as he walked over to him and sat in the black haired man's lap.

The couple flipped through the books pages, looking at some of their younger friends, like Yuffie and Tifa. They hadn't seen those two in so long, Cloud realized, and decided he would call them soon.

Zack flipped to their class, looking at the younger version of the man sitting in his lap. He had glasses then, and was much more innocent. He looked over to the pictures next to the blonde's, looking at the two brothers that looked nothing alike. Vincent and Sephiroth. The only things they had in common were their attitudes, and well the bunny ears they both sported. Zack laughed at them.

Being a little curious as to where his husband was, Cloud flipped the pages until he found him, and a few of his other friends. Zack hadn't been as muscular then, the blonde noticed, nor had he been as grown up. He was much more childish then. The smaller sized man smiled at the memories of his love always getting in trouble, or getting caught trying to skip class.

The two looked over to the next page, seeing a gruff southern teenager, and a sweet doe-eyed girl they both dearly missed. Cid had gone off with Vincent after high school, wanting to make his dream of being the "best damn pilot ever" come true.

Though they couldn't say the same for their kind-hearted best friend, Aerith. The poor girl had wanted to be a florist, and would have been the best at it if she had lived. The brunette was born with leukemia, and was strong throughout it. She never complained, and made it easily through high school, never showing any signs of weakness, but only a year after finishing, the disease had taken her. No one realized how bad it had gotten, even the doctors thought she was doing better. . . but it snuck up on all of them. Nearly tore the group apart. Gods, they missed the girl.

Cloud and Zack looked at each other sadly, thinking the same thoughts about their late friend. The black haired man planted a chaste kiss on his Chocobo's cheek, trying to cheer him up.

Turning the pages a few more times they looked at a long list of names and pictures. Their old teachers.

Zack pointed at one of the pictures, laughing at his old coach. Angeal had been the one to dub him "Puppy." He had loved that man so much, and he missed him just as much as he missed Aerith. Angeal had died from a terrible car accident that almost took Zack's and many of his other team members lives as well. Another of their teachers, Genesis was still trying to cope with the loss. They missed both of those men.

Cloud shivered as he saw the picture of their old science teacher, Hojo. That man scared everyone. No one liked him, not a single person the two boys knew liked that man, and Zack had known everyone.

Then they noticed Reeve. The old counselor. He had helped all of them at least once. Now that was a man everyone loved. They didn't know anyone who hated Reeve, except Hojo. But that was only because the weird science teacher was jealous.

Flipping to the very back the couple looked at all the superlatives. Zack pointed it out first, chuckling quietly to himself as he looked at the picture. He would have to tease the two about it when they all got together again. Cloud looked down at what his husband was pointing at. He covered his mouth as he looked at the picture.

Cutest Couple: Cid Highwind and Valentina Valentine. "Valentina" was sitting on Cid's lap and the two were engrossed in a passionate kiss when the picture had been taken. Poor Vincent. Many people thought he was a girl back in high school because he was a bit of a late bloomer. His voice didn't change until around eleventh grade, but still since he was so quiet no one ever noticed he was male. The people even thought his name was Valentina.

The next one was Class Clown. Cloud giggled into his hand when he saw Zack's childish grin in the picture. The raven headed boy was doing a one handed hand-stand with an apple balanced on his ass. The blonde had no idea how he could do that.

Zack chuckled sheepishly at the picture. He remembered that day like it was yesterday. All he knew was that he had been chosen for something, and then asked to do something funny. He did exactly what the person had asked of him, but ended up falling flat on his face after the picture was taken. Angeal had shook his head at him but laughed all the same. Since the picture had been taken at the beginning of the year, Angeal had still been alive. . . Zack sighed at the memory.

The next one, and only one that meant something to everyone in the school, whether they had known the person or just caught glimpses of them in the hallway was, The One Who Will Succeed. Aerith had her picture taken for that one. Everyone had loved that girl, and they all knew that this was the truest of all the superlatives.

Aerith was sitting on the ground with her legs pulled up behind her, teaching and helping some of the younger students in the flower arranging/planting class they had at school. She had the brightest smile on her face, and her eyes glowed with happiness, though she had dirt everywhere.

Zack closed the yearbook slowly as he watched his husband cry silently in his arms. Cloud wasn't one to cry, or even show weakness, but if you gave him time to remember his dearest friend he would. The two had been the closest to Aerith, besides Tifa of course, and the blonde had taken it hardest when she died, so the raven understood why the man in his arms was silently sobbing now.

Slowly turning his Chocobo around, the bigger of the two held him in his strong arms, letting the small man cry into his shirt.

"Sh. . . She wouldn't want to see you like this, love," Zack said as he smoothed back Cloud's spiky blonde hair.

"I know. . ." the blonde responded as he wiped his now red eyes and looked up. "Zack. . . I love you."

"I love you too, Chocobo," the raven said as he kissed the blonde passionately on the lips. "Now whattya say I put this old thing up, go find those cleaning supplies, and we actually start our spring cleaning?"

Cloud nodded his head, smiling up at his husband brightly. "Though. . ." he said as he took the yearbook, went over to the table next the recliner, and started shuffling back through the book.

"What are you doing now?"

"You'll see," the blonde smiled as he found the loose picture and took it out. Grabbing the picture frame they still hadn't filled, he slipped the picture into it after popping the back off. He showed it to the raven when he finished.

"What do you think?"

"It's perfect," Zack stated as he looked over the picture of their group, their family, all hugging Aerith, or all at least trying to. He smiled up at Cloud and took the picture frame from his hands, said, "We'll all need to get together soon," and put the picture onto the side table. The smaller man nodded in agreement.

"Can't believe photographs brought all this back. . ." Cloud muttered to himself after Zack walked out. "Miss you so much, Aer. . ." and he smiled one last time at the photo as he left the room to go help his husband.

* * *

><p><strong>This is actually a late Christmas present for a good friend of mine. It's inspired by the song <em>Photographs<em> by _Nickelback_. **

**I love Aerith, so that's why I had her in there so much, and I'm sorry if it's just a little sad. **

**The title of the yearbook is actually the title of my 2010 yearbook. I thought it kinda matched so I used it.**

**Has side pairings of Cid X Vincent, and Angeal X Genesis.**

**Oh, I hate Hojo. Yes I hate him. And he scares me. I love Angeal and Genesis though!**

**_Criticism that helps me is VERY MUCH WELCOME! Reviews give you chocolate cake and Earl Grey Tea so you should review! Any reviews that are cruel and mean in nature WILL BE IGNORED! I do not take kindly to sleaze bags that are jealous of someone else. Thank you very much~!_**


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